Providing authenticated access to multiple social websites

ABSTRACT

Methods of the present invention allow for managing multiple social websites. An exemplary method may comprise the steps of providing a Personal Portal Website (that may resolve from a domain name registered to a Registrant and may be communicatively coupled to a plurality of social websites), displaying the Registrant&#39;s public webpage from at least one social website, and authenticating the Registrant. If the Registrant is successfully authenticated, the Registrant may be logged into at least one social websites and the Registrant&#39;s private webpage from the social website(s) may be displayed.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS

This patent application is related to the following concurrently-filedpatent applications:

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/024,764, “AN INTERNET PORTAL FORMANAGING SOCIAL WEBSITES.”

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/024,785, “SYSTEMS FOR MANAGING ADOMAIN NAME REGISTRANT'S SOCIAL WEBSITES.”

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/024,793, “USING SOCIAL DOMAINS TOMANAGE A DOMAIN NAME REGISTRANT'S SOCIAL WEBSITES.”

The subject matter of all patent applications is commonly owned andassigned to The Go Daddy Group, Inc. All prior applications areincorporated herein in their entirety by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present inventions generally relate to the field of theInternet-based social networks and, more specifically, systems andmethods for managing multiple social websites.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A network is a collection of links and nodes (e.g., multiple computersand/or other devices connected together) arranged so that informationmay be passed from one part of the network to another over multiplelinks and through various nodes. Examples of networks include theInternet, the public switched telephone network, the global Telexnetwork, computer networks (e.g., an intranet, an extranet, a local-areanetwork, or a wide-area network), wired networks, and wireless networks.

The Internet is a worldwide network of computers and computer networksarranged to allow the easy and robust exchange of information betweencomputer users. Hundreds of millions of people around the world haveaccess to computers connected to the Internet via Internet ServiceProviders (ISPs). Content providers place multimedia information (e.g.,text, graphics, audio, video, animation, and other forms of data) atspecific locations on the Internet referred to as webpages. Websitescomprise a collection of connected, or otherwise related, webpages. Thecombination of all the websites and their corresponding webpages on theInternet is generally known as the World Wide Web (WWW) or simply theWeb.

For Internet users and businesses alike, the Internet continues to beincreasingly valuable. People are increasingly using the Web foreveryday tasks such as social networking, shopping, banking, payingbills, and consuming media and entertainment. E-commerce is growing,with businesses delivering more services and content across theInternet, communicating and collaborating online, and inventing new waysto connect with each other.

Some Internet users, typically those that are larger and moresophisticated, may provide their own hardware, software, and connectionsto the Internet. But many Internet users either do not have theresources available or do not want to create and maintain theinfrastructure necessary to host their own websites. To assist suchindividuals (or entities), hosting companies exist that offer websitehosting services. These hosting providers typically provide thehardware, software, and electronic communication means necessary toconnect multiple websites to the Internet. A single hosting provider mayliterally host thousands of websites on one or more hosting servers.

Websites may be created using HyperText Markup Language (HTML) togenerate a standard set of tags that define how the webpages for thewebsite are to be displayed. Users of the Internet may access contentproviders' websites using software known as an Internet browser, such asMICROSOFT INTERNET EXPLORER or MOZILLA FIREFOX. After the browser haslocated the desired webpage, it requests and receives information fromthe webpage, typically in the form of an HTML document, and thendisplays the webpage content for the user. The user then may view otherwebpages at the same website or move to an entirely different websiteusing the browser.

Browsers are able to locate specific websites because each website,resource, and computer on the Internet has a unique Internet Protocol(IP) address. Presently, there are two standards for IP addresses. Theolder IP address standard, often called IP Version 4 (IPv4), is a 32-bitbinary number, which is typically shown in dotted decimal notation,where four 8-bit bytes are separated by a dot from each other (e.g.,64.202.167.32). The notation is used to improve human readability. Thenewer IP address standard, often called IP Version 6 (IPv6) or NextGeneration Internet Protocol (IPng), is a 128-bit binary number. Thestandard human readable notation for IPv6 addresses presents the addressas eight 16-bit hexadecimal words, each separated by a colon (e.g.,2EDC:BA98:0332:0000:CF8A:000C:2154:7313).

IP addresses, however, even in human readable notation, are difficultfor people to remember and use. A Uniform Resource Locator (URL) is mucheasier to remember and may be used to point to any computer, directory,or file on the Internet. A browser is able to access a website on theInternet through the use of a URL. The URL may include a HypertextTransfer Protocol (HTTP) request combined with the website's Internetaddress, also known as the website's domain name. An example of a URLwith a HTTP request and domain name is: http://www.companyname.com. Inthis example, the “http” identifies the URL as a HTTP request and the“companyname.com” is the domain name.

Domain names are much easier to remember and use than theircorresponding IP addresses. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Namesand Numbers (ICANN) approves some Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) anddelegates the responsibility to a particular organization (a “registry”)for maintaining an authoritative source for the registered domain nameswithin a TLD and their corresponding IP addresses. For certain TLDs(e.g., .biz, .info, .name, and .org) the registry is also theauthoritative source for contact information related to the domain nameand is referred to as a “thick” registry. For other TLDs (e.g., .com and.net) only the domain name, registrar identification, and name serverinformation is stored within the registry, and a registrar is theauthoritative source for the contact information related to the domainname. Such registries are referred to as “thin” registries. Most gTLDsare organized through a central domain name Shared Registration System(SRS) based on their TLD.

The process for registering a domain name with .com, .net, .org, andsome other TLDs allows an Internet user to use an ICANN-accreditedregistrar to register their domain name. For example, if an Internetuser, John Doe, wishes to register the domain name “mycompany.com,” JohnDoe may initially determine whether the desired domain name is availableby contacting a domain name registrar. The Internet user may make thiscontact using the registrar's webpage and typing the desired domain nameinto a field on the registrar's webpage created for this purpose. Uponreceiving the request from the Internet user, the registrar mayascertain whether “mycompany.com” has already been registered bychecking the SRS database associated with the TLD of the domain name.The results of the search then may be displayed on the webpage tothereby notify the Internet user of the availability of the domain name.If the domain name is available, the Internet user may proceed with theregistration process. Otherwise, the Internet user may keep selectingalternative domain names until an available domain name is found. Domainnames are typically registered for a period of one to ten years withfirst rights to continually re-register the domain name.

An individual or entities' domain name is increasingly the anchor aroundwhich their online presence is maintained. For example, a company'swebsite (www.companyname.com) and email system(john.doe@companyname.com) utilize the company's domain name as anintegral part of their architecture. Similarly, many Internet users usetheir email address, and therefore their domain name, as a means ofidentification on social websites, which have proliferated in recentyears. Social websites are social networking services that focus onbuilding and verifying online social networks for communities of peoplewho share interests and activities, or who are interested in exploringthe interests and activities of others, and which necessitates the useof software. Most social websites are Internet based and provide acollection of various ways for users to interact, such as chat,messaging, email, video, voice chat, file sharing, blogging, discussiongroups, etc. The main types of social networking services are thosewhich contain directories of some categories (such as formerclassmates), means to connect with friends (usually withself-description pages), and/or recommendation systems linked to trust.Popular methods now combine many of these, with MYSPACE, BEBO, FACEBOOK,YOUTUBE, LINKEDIN, and FLICKR being but a few examples.

Such social websites often post their members' public webpages for allInternet users to view, without authentication or login. Conversely,members' private webpages may only be accessed and viewed by the member.Such private webpages generally require member authentication andprovide the member with tools to manage his public webpage, communicatewith other members, and/or otherwise manage his social websitemembership.

Many social websites, typically those that receive or share sensitiveinformation (as well as websites associated with banks, credit cardcompanies, and online businesses), may require Internet users to loginto the website with a secure username and password before accessing thewebsite's content.

The username/password system is a common form of secret authenticationdata used to control website access. The username/password is keptsecret from those not allowed access. Those wishing to gain access aretested on whether or not they have a valid (recognized) username andwhether they know the associated password. Internet users are granted ordenied access to websites accordingly.

Many social websites have different rules governing the creation ofusernames and passwords. Some require passwords that include a complexcombination of letters, numbers, and other characters. Others have norestrictions whatsoever. With the proliferation of login-accesswebsites, Internet users often must remember dozens (or more) differentusername/password combinations, one for each secure website they wish toaccess. This has resulted in what has come to be known as “passwordfatigue.”

Partly in response to these issues, the concept of the “digitalidentity” has evolved. A digital identity is a set of characteristics bywhich a person or thing is recognizable or distinguished in the digitalrealm. Digital identity allows for the electronic recognition of anindividual or thing without confusing it for someone or something else.

There are many applications for an Internet user's digital identity,including authenticating the user before permitting access to a website.One method for such authentication includes the use of a URL (e.g.,OpenID). URL-based digital identity systems (such as OPENID) utilize aframework based on the concept that any individual or entity canidentify themselves on the Internet with a URL provided by a DigitalIdentity Provider (e.g., johndoe.openid.com). The Digital IdentityProvider maintains an Identity Server on which a Digital IdentityDatabase (a database of provided digital identity URLs and thecorresponding authentication passwords) is stored.

Once obtained, the Internet user may utilize their digital identity URLto access various websites. For example, to login to an OpenID-enabledwebsite, the user enters their OpenID (e.g., johndoe.openid.com) in theusername box. The user is then momentarily redirected to the user'sDigital Identity Provider's website (or an authentication windowappears) to login using whatever password they have set up with theirDigital Identity Provider. Once authenticated, the Digital IdentityProvider sends the participating website an encrypted message (a token)confirming the identity of the person logging in. There are currentlynumerous Digital Identity Providers offering URL-based (OpenID) digitalidentity services, meaning they offer digital identity URLs and serversto authenticate them.

Applicant, however, has noticed that presently-existing systems andmethods do not allow Internet users to manage multiple social websitesin a simple, unified, and focused fashion. Internet users who joinmultiple social websites have no single website to which they can go toobtain access to all of their social websites. Similarly, Internetusers' friends, family, and/or other social contacts do not have asingle website to which they may go to access all of the Internet user'ssocial website's public webpages. For the foregoing reasons, there is aneed for the systems and methods for managing multiple social websitesand related functionality as described herein.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The limitations cited above and others are substantially overcomethrough the systems and methods disclosed herein, which allow forefficient management of multiple social websites.

In an example embodiment, a Personal Portal Website may be hosted on atleast one server communicatively coupled to a Network. The PersonalPortal Website may resolve from a domain name registered to aRegistrant. The Personal Portal Website may comprise means forauthenticating the Registrant, which may be accomplished using an OpenIDstandard. Once properly authenticated, the Registrant may access aManagement Webpage having means for selecting a plurality of socialwebsites and means for generating a Social Domain for at least one ofthe selected social websites. This may be accomplished by concatenatingat least one subdomain to the Registrant's domain name and subsequentlymapping the Social Domain to a URL for a webpage on one of theRegistrant's social websites. Links to one or more social websites maysubsequently be displayed on a Portal Webpage. When accessed by aproperly-authenticated Registrant, the Portal Webpage may display linksto the Registrant's private webpages from the selected social websites.If accessed by a non-authenticated Internet user, the Portal Webpage maydisplay links to the Registrant's public webpages from the selectedsocial websites.

An exemplary system for managing multiple social websites may comprise aPersonal Portal Website hosted on a server that may be communicativelycoupled to a Network. The Personal Portal Website may resolve from adomain name registered to a Registrant. The Personal Portal Website alsomay have means for authenticating the Registrant and a ManagementWebpage, which is accessible only to the Registrant after successfulauthentication. The Management Webpage may also have means for selectinga plurality of social websites. A Portal Webpage also may be accessiblevia the Personal Portal Website, and may have links to the socialwebsites selected by the Registrant on the Management Webpage.

Another exemplary system for managing multiple social websites maycomprise means for registering a domain name to a Registrant, at leastone social website, and a Personal Portal Website communicativelycoupled to the registering means and social website(s). The PersonalPortal Website also may comprise means for generating a Social Domain(possibly by concatenating at least one subdomain to the Registrant'sdomain name), means for mapping the Social Domain to a URL for theRegistrant's public webpage on his social website(s), and means fordisplaying the Registrant's public webpage(s) when the Social Domain isentered in a browser.

An exemplary method for managing social websites may comprise the stepsof registering a domain name to a Registrant, generating a Social Domain(that corresponds to a social website) by concatenating at least onesubdomain to the Registrant's domain name, mapping the Social Domain toa URL for the Registrant's social website webpage, entering the SocialDomain in a browser, and displaying the Registrant's social websitewebpage. In one possible embodiment, the displayed social websitewebpage may be the Registrant's public webpage. In another possibleembodiment, after authenticating the Registrant, identity-related datacollected during the domain name registration process may be transferredto a social website. The Registrant may then be logged into the socialwebsite and his private webpage from the social website may bedisplayed.

Another exemplary method of managing multiple social websites maycomprise the steps of providing a Personal Portal Website (that mayresolve from a domain name registered to a Registrant and may becommunicatively coupled to a plurality of social websites), displayingthe Registrant's public webpage from at least one social website, andauthenticating the Registrant. If the Registrant is successfullyauthenticated, the Registrant may be logged into at least one socialwebsites and the Registrant's private webpage from the social website(s)may be displayed.

The above features and advantages of the present invention will bebetter understood from the following detailed description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a possible embodiment of a system for managingmultiple social websites.

FIG. 2 illustrates a possible embodiment of a system for managingmultiple social websites.

FIG. 3 illustrates a possible embodiment of a system for managingmultiple social websites.

FIG. 4 illustrates a possible embodiment of a system for managingmultiple social websites.

FIG. 5 illustrates a possible embodiment of a system for managingmultiple social websites.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating a possible embodiment of a methodfor managing multiple social websites.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating a possible embodiment of a methodfor managing multiple social websites.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating a possible embodiment of a methodfor managing multiple social websites.

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram illustrating a possible embodiment of a methodfor managing multiple social websites.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present inventions will now be discussed in detail with regard tothe attached drawing figures which were briefly described above. In thefollowing description, numerous specific details are set forthillustrating the Applicant's best mode for practicing the invention andenabling one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention.It will be obvious, however, to one skilled in the art that the presentinvention may be practiced without many of these specific details. Inother instances, well-known machines, structures, and method steps havenot been described in particular detail in order to avoid unnecessarilyobscuring the present invention. Unless otherwise indicated, like partsand method steps are referred to with like reference numerals.

A streamlined example embodiment of a system for managing multiplesocial websites is illustrated in FIG. 1. The illustrated embodimentincludes a Personal Portal Website 100 hosted on at least one server 110communicatively coupled to a Network 120. The Personal Portal Website100 may resolve from a domain name registered to a Registrant 190 andmay have means for authenticating 130 the Registrant 190. The systemalso may include a Management Webpage 140 on the Personal Portal Website100 that is accessible to the Registrant 190 only after successfulauthentication. The Management Webpage 140 also may have means forselecting 150 a plurality of social websites 180. The system also mayinclude a Portal Webpage 160 accessible via the Personal Portal Website100. The Portal Webpage 160 may have a plurality of links 170 to aplurality of social websites 180.

The Personal Portal Website 100 is a single place on a Network 120 (suchas the Internet) where a Registrant 190 may go to access, view, andmanage the many social websites 180 that the Registrant 190 may use, orto which he may belong. The Personal Portal Website 100 may be accessedby the Registrant 190 (or any Network 120 user) by entering thewebsite's URL (e.g., domain name) into a browser, which will cause thePersonal Portal Website 100 to resolve from the domain name.

The example embodiments herein place no limitation on Network 120configuration or connectivity. Thus, as non-limiting examples, theNetwork 120 could comprise the Internet, an intranet, an extranet, alocal area network, a wide area network, a wired network, a wirelessnetwork, a telephone network, or any combination thereof. The Registrant190 may be an individual or an entity including, but not limited to, aperson, a business, a governmental institution, an educationalinstitution, a non-profit organization, or a social organization.

The Personal Portal Website 100 may be hosted on at least one server 110by, as a non-limiting example, subscribing to a hosting provider (e.g.,GODADDY.COM) for website hosting services (e.g., GODADDY.COM's HOSTINGPLANS). Alternatively, the at least one server 110 could be any computeror program that provides services to other computers, programs, or userseither in the same computer or over a computer network. As non-limitingexamples, the at least one server 110 could be an application,communication, mail, database, proxy, fax, file, media, web,peer-to-peer, or standalone server and may use any server format knownin the art or developed in the future (possibly a shared hosting server,a virtual dedicated hosting server, a dedicated hosting server, or anycombination thereof).

The Personal Portal Website 100 may be communicatively coupled to aNetwork 120 via any method of network connection known in the art ordeveloped in the future including, but not limited to wired, wireless,modem, dial-up, satellite, cable modem, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL),Asymmetric Digital Subscribers Line (ASDL), Virtual Private Network(VPN), Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), X.25, Ethernet, tokenring, Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI), IP over AsynchronousTransfer Mode (ATM), Infrared Data Association (IrDA), wireless, WANtechnologies (T1, Frame Relay), Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet(PPPoE), and/or any combination thereof.

The Personal Portal Website 100 also may have means for authenticating130 the Registrant 190. Authentication is the process of attempting toverify the identity of the sender of a communication, such as a requestto log in or access a resource. The thing being authenticated may be aperson using a computer (e.g., the Registrant 190), a computer itself,or a computer program. As non-limiting examples, the means forauthenticating 130 may utilize any weak or strong authentication systemknown in the art or developed in the future, such as username/password,challenge/response, OpenID, MICROSOFT CARDSPACE, any Single Sign-On(SSO) methodology, Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), digital signatures,zero-knowledge proofs, Kerberos, smart card, biometrics (retina, voice,fingerprint, or DNA recognition) and/or and combination thereof.

The Personal Portal Website 100 also may comprise a Management Webpage140, which is accessible only to a Registrant 190 after properauthentication. Unauthenticated network users may be denied access towebpage content. The Management Webpage 140 may comprise means forselecting 150 a plurality of social websites 180 that allows theRegistrant 190 to identify any number of social websites 180 that he mayuse, or to which he may belong. The means for selecting 150 may compriseany method of identifying websites including, but not limited to, datafields in which the Registrant 190 may enter social website 180identifying information (e.g., URL, website address, or social websitename). Alternatively, a list of social websites 180 may be presentedfrom which the Registrant 190 may select.

The Personal Portal Website 100 also may comprise a Portal Webpage 160,which may be accessible to all Network 120 users. This Portal Webpage160 may display the Registrant's 190 public webpages from one or all ofhis social websites 180. This provides the Registrant's 190 friends orfamily a single online location at which they may access and view all ofthe Registrant's 190 social websites 180. The Portal Webpage 160 mayhave a plurality of links 170 to the social websites 180 selected by theRegistrant 190 on the Management Webpage 140. The links 170 may compriseany method of linking, displaying, or redirecting a Network 120 user tothe Registrant's 190 social websites 180.

In alternate embodiment of a system for managing multiple socialwebsites, illustrated in FIG. 2, the Management Webpage 140 also maycomprise means for generating 200 a Social Domain 220. The Social Domain220 may comprise at least one subdomain concatenated to a domain name.Only a properly-authenticated Registrant 190 will be provided access tothe functionality on the Management Webpage 140. The means forgenerating 200 a Social Domain 220 may comprise web and/or client-basedsoftware tool allowing the properly-authenticated Registrant 190 togenerate at least one Social Domain 220, each of which may be tied tohis domain name.

For example, if a Registrant 190 registers the domain name,“johndoe.com,” he may then concatenate a subdomain (e.g., “myspace”) to“johndoe.com” to generate a Social Domain 220 such as“myspace.johndoe.com.” Using the social website 180 examples discussedabove (i.e., BEBO, FACEBOOK, YOUTUBE, LINKEDIN, and FLICKR), theRegistrant 190 also may generate additional Social Domains 220, such as“bebo.johndoe.com,” “facebook.johndoe.com,” “youtube.johndoe.com,”“linkedin.johndoe.com,” and “flickr.johndoe.com.” In this exampleembodiment, the subdomain need not necessarily have the same name as thesocial website 180. Any subdomain may be used, perhaps one that simplyrefers to the social website's 180 subject matter, (e.g.,“photos.johndoe.com” or “blog.johndoe.com”).

In one example embodiment, the means for generating 200 a Social Domain220 comprises data entry fields in which the Registrant 190 may entersubdomains and the domain name(s) for concatenation. It may also containa data field in which the Registrant 190 may enter a URL for a socialwebsite 180 related to the Social Domain 220 (e.g., www.myspace.com).Alternatively, the Registrant 190 may select domain names, subdomains,and/or social website 180 URLs from a list, perhaps in drop-down menu ormatrix form. In yet another embodiment, the means for generating 200 mayuse a software-implemented algorithm to generate suggested SocialDomains 220.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, the Management Webpage 140 alsomay comprise means for mapping 210 a generated Social Domain 220 to aURL for a webpage on at least one of the social websites 180. Thismapping means 210 may be a client or server-based software tool that mayperform the mapping function automatically based on domain name,subdomain, and social website 180 URL information previously provided bythe Registrant 190. Alternatively, the means for mapping 210 may providethe Registrant 190 with the ability (e.g., data fields, lists, drop-downmenu, matrix, etc.) to manually map his Social Domain 220 to socialwebsite 180 URLs. The means for mapping 210 may use any method and/ortechnology known in the art or developed in the future for mapping aSocial Domain 220 to another URL including, but not limited to URLforwarding, redirecting, masking and/or any combination thereof.

URL redirection (also called URL forwarding) is a technique for making aweb page available under many URLs. URL masking comprises hiding thesocial website's 180 domain name from the URL field of a user's browserin favor of the Social Domain 220. As is known in the art, this may beaccomplished by manual redirection, using HTTP 3xx status codes,server-side redirection scripting, .htaccess files, meta refreshredirection, JavaScript redirects, frame redirects, and/or redirectloops. Alternatively, masking can be accomplished by using an HTMLinline frame or frameset so a frame embedded in the social website 180points to another site. Aliases also may be implemented to have the webserver serve the same page for two different domain names.

In this example embodiment, at least one of the plurality of links 170to social websites 180 comprises a link to a Social Domain 220. Thus,the Social Domain 220 generated by (or for) the Registrant 190 may beused to direct Network 120 users to the social websites 180 selected bythe Registrant 190. The Portal Webpage 160, which may be accessed by anyNetwork 120 user, may therefore publish a complete list of theRegistrant's 190 social websites 180 by their corresponding SocialDomains 220. Accordingly, the Registrant's 190 friends or family (or anyNetwork 120 user) may go to the Portal Webpage 160 on the Registrant's190 Personal Portal Website 100 to view and access all of theRegistrant's 190 social websites 180 by their corresponding SocialDomains 220.

In alternate embodiment of a system for managing multiple socialwebsites, illustrated in FIG. 3, the means for authenticating 130 theRegistrant 190 further comprises means for logging in 300 to at leastone of the Registrant's 190 social websites 180. The means for loggingin 300 has the ability to, once the Registrant 190 is authenticated, loghim into at least one of the social websites 180. The means for loggingin 300 may utilize a means for transferring data 360, which itself maybe a component of the means for authenticating 130 the Registrant 190.

The means for transferring data 360 may utilize any method oftransferring data known in the art or developed in the future. Suchmethods can generally be classified in two categories: (1) “pull-based”data transfers where the receiver initiates a data transmission request;and (2) “push-based” data transfers where the sender initiates a datatransmission request. Both types are expressly included in theembodiments illustrated herein, which also may include transparent datatransfers over network file systems, explicit file transfers fromdedicated file-transfer services like FTP or HTTP, distributed filetransfers over peer-to-peer networks, file transfers over instantmessaging systems, file transfers between computers and peripheraldevices, and/or file transfers over direct modem or serial (null modem)links, such as XMODEM, YMODEM and ZMODEM. Data streaming technology alsomay be used to effectuate data transfer. A data stream may be, forexample, a sequence of digitally encoded coherent signals (packets ofdata) used to transmit or receive information that is in transmission.Any data transfer protocol known in the art or developed in the futuremay be used including, but not limited to: (1) those used with TCP/IP(e.g., FTAM, FTP, HTTP, RCP, SFTP, SCP, or FASTCopy); (2) those usedwith UDP (e.g., TFTP, FSP, UFTP, or MFTP); (3) those used with directmodem connections; (4) HTTP streaming; (5) Tubular Data Stream Protocol(TDSP); (6) Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP); and/or (7) RealTime Streaming Protocol (RTSP).

The transferred data may vary, depending upon the login requirements ofthe social website 180, but could comprise identity-related data, suchas a username/password, Digital Identity, an OpenID, metadata,microformats, contact information, relationship information, domain nameregistration information, WHOIS data relating to a domain name, and/orany combination thereof, or any other data necessary to log theRegistrant 190 into the social website 180. Metadata is data about data.An item of metadata may describe an individual datum, or content item,or a collection of data including multiple content items. A microformatis a web-based data formatting approach that seeks to re-use existingcontent as metadata, perhaps using XHTML and HTML classes andattributes. This approach allows information intended for end-users(e.g., contact information, geographic coordinates, calendar events,etc.) to also be automatically processed by software. Theidentity-related data may have been collected at any time from theRegistrant 190, perhaps during a domain name registration.

Social websites 180 often allow users to create a profile forthemselves. These profiles may include any of the above-describedidentity-related data, as well as photographs, contact information,favorites (e.g., favorite social website 180 users, music, movies,etc.), age, gender, contact information, and/or any combination thereof.In the instant embodiment, the Registrant 190 may generate and store anynumber of Registrant Profiles 350 that, upon successful authentication,may be shared with a social website 180 via the means for transferringdata 360. The means for transferring data 360 may transfer at least oneRegistrant Profile 350 to a social website 180. Alternatively, it maytransfer identity-related data.

Identity-related data may be stored individually, or perhaps in the formof Registrant Profiles 350 in a means for storing 340 RegistrantProfiles 350, which may be a component of the means for authenticating130. Structurally, the means for storing 340 may comprise any storagedevice for storing data. As non-limiting examples, the means for storing340 may comprise a magnetic storage device, disk drive, FLASH or RAMmemory, local database, online database, desktop database, server-sidedatabase, relational database, hierarchical database, network database,object database, object-relational database, associative database,concept-oriented database, entity-attribute-value database,multi-dimensional database, semi-structured database, star schemadatabase, XML database, file, collection of files, spreadsheet, and/orother means of data storage located on at least one server 110, acomputer, a client, another server, or any other storage device.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, the Portal Webpage's 160 linksto social websites 180 may each appear as a Widget 310, which may havemeans for receiving 320 a feed from at least one of said plurality ofsocial websites 180. A Widget 310 is a host software system for runningand displaying desktop tools on the desktop that may give access toinformation and frequently used functions such as feeds, clocks,calendars, news aggregators, etc. A “feed” is a data format (perhapsXML-based) used for providing users with frequently-updated content. Twocommon feed formats that may be used with the present invention are RSSand Atom. The means for receiving 320 a feed from at least one of saidplurality of social websites 180 may comprise any of thewidely-available (client or server-side) feed readers/aggregatorsrequired to receive and read feeds from the social websites 180including, but not limited to, FEEDREADER CONNECT, FEEDREADER OEM,ATTENSA FEED READERS. Alternatively, the means for receiving 320 maycomprise proprietary software solutions.

The Widget 310 also may comprise means for displaying 330 webpages fromsocial websites 180 providing feeds. The means for displaying 330 maycomprise the feed readers/aggregators discussed above, but having theability to differentiate between authenticated and non-authenticatedNetwork 120 users. Once the Registrant 190 is authenticated and loggedinto a social website 180, the means for displaying 330 displays theRegistrant's 190 private webpage, perhaps in the Widget 310 on thePortal Webpage 160. If the Portal Webpage 160 is accessed by anon-authenticated Network 120 user, the means for displaying 330 maydisplay the Registrant's 190 public webpage from the social website 180.Accordingly, the Portal Webpage 160 comprises means for providing theRegistrant 190 with authenticated access to his social websites 180, aswell as means for providing non-authenticated Internet users with accessto the Registrant's 190 public webpages.

Another streamlined example embodiment of a system for managing multiplesocial websites is illustrated in FIG. 4. The illustrated embodimentincludes means for registering 400 a domain name to a Registrant 190, atleast one social website 180, and a Personal Portal Website 100, eachbeing communicatively coupled to each other via any method of connectionknown in the art or developed in the future including, but not limitedto wired, the Internet, wireless, modem, dial-up, satellite, cablemodem, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), Asymmetric Digital SubscribersLine (ASDL), Virtual Private Network (VPN), Integrated Services DigitalNetwork (ISDN), X.25, Ethernet, token ring, Fiber Distributed DataInterface (FDDI), IP over Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), InfraredData Association (IrDA), wireless, WAN technologies (T1, Frame Relay),Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet (PPPoE), and/or any combinationthereof.

The means for registering 400 a domain name may comprise any domain nameregistration system known in the art or developed in the futureincluding, but not limited to domain name registration services offeredby domain name registries, registrars, and/or resellers (e.g.,GODADDY.COM). The process for registering a domain name with .com, .net,.org, and some other TLDs allows an Internet user to use anICANN-accredited registrar to register their domain name. For example,if an Internet user, John Doe, wishes to register the domain name“mycompany.com,” John Doe may initially determine whether the desireddomain name is available by contacting a domain name registrar. TheInternet user may make this contact using the registrar's webpage andtyping the desired domain name into a field on the registrar's webpagecreated for this purpose. Upon receiving the request from the Internetuser, the registrar may ascertain whether “mycompany.com” has alreadybeen registered by checking the SRS database associated with the TLD ofthe domain name. The results of the search then may be displayed on thewebpage to thereby notify the Internet user of the availability of thedomain name. If the domain name is available, the Internet user mayproceed with the registration process. Otherwise, the Internet user maykeep selecting alternative domain names until an available domain nameis found.

The Personal Portal Website 100 may further comprise means forgenerating 200 a Social Domain 220 by concatenating at least onesubdomain to said domain name, means for mapping 210 said Social Domain220 to a URL for said Registrant's 190 public webpage on said at leastone social website 180, and means for displaying 330 said Registrant's190 public webpage from said at least one social website 180 when saidSocial Domain 220 is entered in a browser. Each of these means, whichare described in detail above, may be implemented by either client orserver-side software.

A more detailed example embodiment of a system for managing multiplesocial websites is illustrated in FIG. 5. In addition to the elementsillustrated in FIG. 4, the registering means 400 of the instantembodiment further comprises means for collecting 500 at least oneidentity-related data from said Registrant 190. The data collectingmeans 500 could comprise any method of receiving identity-related datafrom the Registrant 190. In a preferred embodiment, such data may beobtained via the domain name registration process, perhaps by requestingthe Registrant 190 to provide identity-related data on a website, overthe telephone, or via email. The identity-related data could compriseany data related to the Registrant's 190 identity, such as ausername/password, a Digital Identity, an OpenID, a plurality ofmetadata, a plurality of microformats, a plurality of contactinformation, a plurality of relationship information, a plurality ofdomain name registration information, a plurality of WHOIS data relatingto said domain name, and/or any combination thereof.

In this example embodiment, the registering means 400 also may comprisemeans for generating 510 a Registrant Profile 350 from theidentity-related data. The Registrant Profile 350 may be similar toprofiles that social websites 180 often allow users to create forthemselves. These profiles may include any of the above-describedidentity-related data, as well as photographs, contact information,favorites (e.g., favorite social website 180 users, music, movies,etc.), age, gender, contact information, and/or any combination thereof.In the instant embodiment, the means for generating 510 and means forstoring 340 a Registrant Profile 350 allow the Registrant 190 togenerate and store any number of Registrant Profiles 350. The generatingmeans 510 may automatically generate a Registrant Profile 350 byextracting relevant identity-related data and populating a templateand/or form. Alternatively, the Registrant 190 may be provided with atemplate and/or form, perhaps on a website, to manually generate aRegistrant Profile 350.

The Personal Portal Website 100 also may comprise means forauthenticating 130 the Registrant 190, perhaps by verifying theRegistrant 190 using an OpenID standard. URL-based digital identitysystems, such as OpenID, utilize a framework based on the concept thatany individual or entity can identify themselves on the Internet with aURL (e.g., johndoe.openid.com) provided by a trusted third party (e.g.,a Digital Identity Provider). The Digital Identity Provider may maintainan Identity Server on which a Digital Identity Database (a database ofprovided digital identity URLs and the corresponding authenticationpasswords) is stored. Once obtained, the Internet user may utilize theirdigital identity URL to access various websites. For example, to loginto an OpenID-enabled Personal Portal Website 100, the Registrant 190 mayenter his digital identity URL in a username box, or other data field.The Registrant 190 may then be momentarily redirected to theRegistrant's 190 Digital Identity Provider's website (or anauthentication window appears) to login using whatever password theyhave set up with their Digital Identity Provider. Once authenticated,the Digital Identity Provider may sends the Personal Portal Website 100an encrypted message (a token) confirming the identity of the Registrant190 logging in.

The Personal Portal Website 100 also may comprise means for logging in300 said Registrant 190 to a social website 180 after successfulauthentication and means for displaying 330 the Registrant's 190 privatewebpage from the social website 180 after successful authentication. Thedisplaying means may employ links to webpages or Social Domains 220,widgets, feeds, and/or any other webpage display technology known in theart or developed in the future. The Personal Portal Website 100 also maycomprise means for transferring data 360 to the social website 180 aftersuccessful authentication. The data transferred may compriseidentity-related data, Registrant Profiles 350, and/or any combinationthereof.

The functionality described herein provides the authenticated Registrant190 with access to his private webpages for all of his social websites180 on a single, access-protected webpage. It also provides theRegistrant 190 with a single webpage on which he may generate RegistrantProfiles 350 that may be downloaded to all of his social websites 180,which may use the Registrant Profiles 350 to generate profiles on thatspecific social website 180. This eliminates the need for the Registrant190 to individually log into each of his social websites 180 andgenerate (or update) profiles on each website.

Several different methods may be used for managing multiple socialwebsites. In the streamlined example embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6, adomain name is registered to a Registrant 190 (Step 600). Thisregistering step may be accomplished by any method of registering adomain known in the art or that may be developed in the futureincluding, but not limited to, those discussed in detail elsewhere inthis application.

A Social Domain 220 is then generated by concatenating at least onesubdomain to the domain name, with the Social Domain 220 corresponding(i.e., relating in some manner) to a social website 180 (Step 610). Forexample, if a Registrant 190 registers the domain name, “johndoe.com,”he may then concatenate a subdomain (e.g., “myspace”) to “johndoe.com”to generate a Social Domain 220 such as “myspace.johndoe.com.” Using thesocial website 180 examples discussed above (i.e., BEBO, FACEBOOK,YOUTUBE, LINKEDIN, and FLICKR), the Registrant 190 also may generateadditional Social Domains 220, such as “bebo.johndoe.com,”“facebook.johndoe.com,” “youtube.johndoe.com,” “linkedin.johndoe.com,”and/or “flickr.johndoe.com.” In this example embodiment, the subdomainneed not necessarily have the same name as the social website 180. Anysubdomain may be used, perhaps simply referring to the social website's180 subject matter (e.g., “photos.johndoe.com” or “blog.johndoe.com”).This step may be accomplished my any means of concatenating a subdomainto a domain name including, but not limited to, those discussed indetail above.

The Social Domain 220 is then mapped to a URL for a social website 180webpage for the Registrant 190 (Step 620). As non-limiting examples,this step may be accomplished by the URL forwarding, redirecting, and/ormasking techniques discussed in detail elsewhere in this application.For example, the Social Domain 220 “myspace.johndoe.com” may be mappedto a URL for one of John Doe's webpages on www.myspace.com. In alternateembodiments, the social website 180 webpage may comprise either theRegistrant's 190 public or private webpage. As seen below, this providesfor systems that publish both private and/or public social website 180webpages.

The Social Domain 220 is then entered in a browser (Step 630) and thesocial website 180 webpage is displayed (Step 640). Step 630 may beaccomplished automatically (e.g., by software, perhaps on a PersonalPortal Website 100) or manually (e.g., by a Network 120 user typing theSocial Domain 220 into a browser's address bar). Displaying the socialwebsite 180 webpage (Step 640) may be accomplished by any method knownin the art or that may be developed in the future of displaying awebpage including, but not limited to, display on a client (e.g.,computer, laptop, telephone, handheld device, etc.) display screen,perhaps using the Widget/feed technology discussed in detail elsewherein this application.

A more detailed for method for managing multiple social websites isillustrated in FIG. 7. In addition to the steps illustrated in FIG. 6,this example embodiment may include the step of, during domain nameregistration (Step 600), collecting at least one identity-related datafrom the Registrant 190 (Step 700). The identity-related data maycomprise a username/password, Digital Identity, OpenID, plurality ofmetadata, plurality of microformats, plurality of contact information,plurality of relationship information, plurality of domain nameregistration information, plurality of WHOIS data relating to saiddomain name, and/or any combination thereof. At least one RegistrantProfile 350 may then be generated from the identity-related data (Step710). These profiles may include any of the above-describedidentity-related data, as well as photographs, contact information,favorites (e.g., favorite social website 180 users, music, movies,etc.), age, gender, contact information, and/or any combination thereof.

The Registrant 190 may then be authenticated (Step 720), perhaps via themeans for authenticating 130 described in detail above including, butnot limited to, the use of the OpenID standard. If the Registrant 190cannot be authenticated, the method may end. Upon successfulauthentication, at least one piece of data (possibly identity-relateddata and/or Registrant Profiles 350) may be transferred to the socialwebsite 180 (Step 730), perhaps via the means for transferring data 360discussed in detail above. The transferred data, for example, also maycomprise the Registrant's 190 username/password, OpenID, or other datathat may allow the Registrant 190 to be authenticated to and logged intothe social website 180 (Step 740), perhaps utilizing the means forlogging in 300 described in detail above. FIG. 7 illustrates Steps 610,620, and 680 being executed in parallel to steps 730 and 740. Inalternate embodiments, these steps may be performed in sequence.

Another embodiment of a method for managing multiple websites isillustrated in FIG. 8. In this embodiment, a Personal Portal Website 100is provided (Step 800), perhaps by hosting the website on a server.Alternatively, any method of providing a website known in the art ordeveloped in the future may be used including, but not limited to thosediscussed in detail elsewhere in this application. The Personal PortalWebsite 100 may resolve from a domain name registered to a Registrant190 and is communicatively coupled (perhaps using the methods discussedelsewhere in this application) to a plurality of social websites 180.

Next, the Registrant's 190 public webpage from at least one of saidplurality of social websites 180 is displayed on the Personal PortalWebsite 100 (Step 810). The Registrant 190 is then authenticated via thePersonal Portal Website 100 (Step 720) perhaps via the means forauthenticating 130 described in detail above including, but not limitedto, the use of the OpenID standard. If the Registrant 190 cannot beauthenticated, the method may end. Upon successful authentication, theRegistrant 190 is logged into at least one social website 180 (Step820), perhaps with the means for logging in 300 and/or means fortransferring data 360 discussed in detail above. The Registrant's 190private webpage from the social website 180 may then be displayed (Step830). Among other methods, the displaying step (Step 830) could beexecuted with the above-described means for displaying 330 socialwebsite 180 webpages, which may employ links to webpages or SocialDomains 220, widgets, aggregators, feeds, and/or any other webpagedisplay technology known in the art or developed in the future.

A more detailed method for managing multiple social websites isillustrated in FIG. 9. In addition to the steps illustrated in FIG. 8,this example embodiment may include the step of registering the domainname to the Registrant 190 (Step 600), which itself may further comprisethe step of collecting identity-related data from the Registrant 190(Step 700), perhaps during the registration process. At least oneRegistrant Profile 350 may then be generated (Step 710), perhaps fromthe identity-related data, which may comprise a username/password, aDigital Identity, an OpenID, a plurality of metadata, a plurality ofmicroformats, a plurality of contact information, a plurality ofrelationship information, a plurality of domain name registrationinformation, a plurality of WHOIS data relating to said domain name,and/or any combination thereof.

After successful authentication, the Registrant 190 may be enabled toidentify at least one social website 180 for display (Step 900). As anon-limiting example, this may be accomplished by providing theRegistrant 190 with a field on a webpage, perhaps on the Personal PortalWebsite 100, to enter the URL for at least one social website 180.Alternatively, the means for selecting 150 a plurality of socialwebsites 180 may be implemented, which allows the Registrant 190 toidentify any number of social websites 180 that he may use, or to whichhe may belong. The means for selecting 150 may comprise any method ofidentifying websites including, but not limited to, data fields in whichthe Registrant 190 may enter social website 180 identifying information(e.g., URL, website address, or social website name). Alternatively, alist of social websites 180 may be presented from which the Registrant190 may select.

Once the Registrant's 190 social websites 180 are identified, a SocialDomain 220 may be generated (Step 610) for each social website 190selected, perhaps by concatenating at least one subdomain to theRegistrant's 190 domain name. The Social Domain 220 may then be mapped(Step 620) to a URL for the Registrant's 190 social website 180 webpage.After the Registrant 190 is logged into the social website 180 (Step820) that, in this embodiment, may be accomplished by transferring data(e.g., identity-related data, username/password, Registrant Profiles350, etc.) to the social website 180 (Step 730), the Registrant's 190private webpage may be displayed (Step 830). In this illustratedembodiment, the webpage displaying steps (Steps 810 and 830) also maycomprise receiving and displaying RSS feeds (Step 910), which may beaccomplished via, among other methods, the Widget, feed, feed reader,and/or aggregator technology described in detail elsewhere in thisapplication.

In another example embodiment of the present invention, a Registrant 190(e.g., John Doe) may register a domain name (e.g., johndoe.com) (Step600), perhaps by going to the website of a domain name registrar, suchas www.godaddy.com, and following the instructions. Alternatively, themeans for registering 400 a domain name, described in further detailabove, may be used. During the domain name registration process, thedomain name registrar may collect identity-related data from theRegistrant 190 (Step 700). This data could comprise any data collectedduring the domain name registration process including, but not limitedto, a username/password, Digital Identity, OpenID, metadata,microformats, contact information, relationship information, domain nameregistration information, WHOIS data relating to a domain name, and/orany combination thereof.

The domain name registrar may then generate a Registrant Profile 350(Step 710) from the identity-related data, perhaps using the means forgenerating 510 a Registrant Profile 350 described in detail above. Byway of example, the Registrant Profile 350 could include theRegistrant's 190 OpenID (e.g., johndoe.openid.com), his photo, age,gender, and a list of his favorite restaurants. The Registrant 190,wanting to manage his many social websites 180 in one place, may thenaccess a Personal Portal Website 100, which may have a ManagementWebpage 140 and a Portal Webpage 160. On the Management Webpage 140, theRegistrant 190 may identify the social websites 180 that he uses mostoften, perhaps www.myspace.com, www.bebo.com, www.facebook.com,www.youtube.com, www.linkedin.com, and www.flickr.com.

The Personal Portal Website 100, or perhaps the Management Webpage 140,may then generate a Social Domain 220 (Step 610) for the selected socialwebsites 180, perhaps by concatenating a subdomain relating to eachsocial website 180 to the Registrant's 190 domain name. Thus, thefollowing Social Domains 220 may be generated: “myspace.johndoe.com,”“bebo.johndoe.com,” “facebook.johndoe.com,” “youtube.johndoe.com,”“linkedin.johndoe.com,” and “flickr.johndoe.com.” Next, each of theSocial Domains 220 may be mapped to the URL for the Registrant's 190public and private webpages for each social website 180 (Step 620),perhaps using URL forwarding, redirecting, masking and/or anycombination thereof.

The Portal Webpage 160 may then display a list of the Registrant's 190Social Domains 220 that function as links 170 to his public webpages(Step 640). Thus, the Registrant's 190 family and friends have a singleplace on the Internet to which they may go to access all of theRegistrant's 190 public social website 180 webpages.

If, however, the Registrant 190 is authenticated (Step 720) by thePersonal Portal Website 100, the Portal Webpage 160 may log theRegistrant 190 into each social website 180 (Step 740) and display links170 to his private webpages (Step 830). This may be accomplished bytransferring data, identity-related data, and/or Registrant Profiles 350to each social website 180, perhaps via the means for transferring data360 discussed in detail above. The functionality described hereinprovides the authenticated Registrant 190 with access to his privatewebpages for all of his social websites 180 on a single,access-protected webpage.

Other embodiments and uses of the above inventions will be apparent tothose having ordinary skill in the art upon consideration of thespecification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. Thespecification and examples given should be considered exemplary only,and it is contemplated that the appended claims will cover any othersuch embodiments or modifications as fall within the true scope of theinvention.

The Abstract accompanying this specification is provided to enable theUnited States Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally todetermine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and gist of thetechnical disclosure and in no way intended for defining, determining,or limiting the present invention or any of its embodiments.

1. A method of managing social websites, comprising the steps of: a)providing a Personal Portal Website, hosted on at least one servercommunicatively coupled to a Network and resolving from a domain nameregistered to a Registrant, said Personal Portal Website beingaccessible to said Registrant via said Network and providing saidRegistrant a single website to access, view, and manage a plurality ofsocial websites; b) displaying, on said Personal Portal Website, aplurality of public webpages for said Registrant from a plurality ofsaid plurality of social websites; c) authenticating, by said PersonalPortal Website, said Registrant; d) after said Registrant issuccessfully authenticated: i) logging said Registrant into a pluralityof said plurality of social websites; ii) displaying, on said PersonalPortal Website, a plurality of private webpages for said Registrant froma the plurality of said plurality of social websites; iii) enabling saidRegistrant to identify at least one of said plurality of social websitesfor display; iv) generating a Social Domain for each of said at leastone of said plurality of social websites selected by said Registrant fordisplay by concatenating at least one subdomain to said domain name; andv) mapping said Social Domain to a URL for a webpage for said Registranton said at least one of said plurality of social websites.
 2. The methodof claim 1, wherein said authenticating step c) further comprisesauthenticating said Registrant using an Open ID standard.
 3. The methodof claim 2, wherein said displaying step d) ii) further comprises thesteps of receiving and displaying an RSS feed from said social website.4. The method of claim 3, wherein said displaying step b) furthercomprises the steps of receiving and displaying an RSS feed from saidsocial website.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step ofregistering said domain name to said Registrant.
 6. The method of claim5, wherein said registering step further comprises collecting at leastone identity-related data from said Registrant.
 7. The method of claim6, wherein said identity-related data comprises a username/password,Digital Identity, an OpenID, a plurality of metadata, a plurality ofmicroformats, a plurality of contact information, a plurality ofrelationship information, a plurality of domain name registrationinformation, a plurality of WHOIS data relating to said domain name,and/or any combination thereof.
 8. The method of claim 7, furthercomprising the step of generating at least one Registrant Profile fromsaid at least one identity-related data.
 9. The method of claim 8,wherein said logging step d) i) further comprises the step oftransferring at least one data to said at least one of said plurality ofsocial websites.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein said at least onedata comprises at least one of said identity-related data, at least oneof said Registrant Profiles, and/or any combination thereof.
 11. Themethod of claim 10, wherein said displaying step d) ii) furthercomprises the step of providing a link to said Social Domain.
 12. Amethod of managing social websites performed by at least one servercomputer communicatively coupled to a Network, comprising the steps of:a) registering said domain name to a Registrant, wherein saidregistering step further comprises collecting at least oneidentity-related data from said Registrant; b) generating at least oneRegistrant Profile from said at least one identity-related data; c)providing a Personal Portal Website, said Personal Portal Websiteresolving from said domain name and communicatively coupled to aplurality of social websites; d) displaying a public webpage for saidRegistrant from at least one of said plurality of social websites byreceiving and displaying an RSS feed from said social website, saidpublic webpage being displayed on said Personal Portal Website; e)authenticating said Registrant via said Personal Portal Website using anOpenID standard; and f) after said Registrant is successfullyauthenticated: i) logging said Registrant into at least one of saidplurality of social websites, wherein said logging step furthercomprises the step of transferring at least one data to said at leastone of said plurality of social websites, said at least one datacomprising at least one of said identity-related data, at least one ofsaid Registrant Profiles, and/or any combination thereof; ii) displayinga private webpage for said Registrant from at least one of saidplurality of social websites by receiving and displaying an RSS feedfrom said social website; iii) enabling said Registrant to identify atleast one of said plurality of social websites for display; iv)generating a Social Domain for each of said at least one of saidplurality of social websites selected by said Registrant for display byconcatenating at least one subdomain to said domain name; and v) mappingsaid Social Domain to a URL for a webpage for said Registrant on said atleast one of said plurality of social websites.